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March 19, 2010

The Perfect Potluck

It’s that time of year when we all feel like opening our homes to friends and family and celebrating—but with a little less glitz and a lot more give and take.

That’s why we think the classic potluck dinner deserves a big comeback. It’s a great way to host a stress-free gathering with a guaranteed menu of everyone’s “signature” dishes. People love to contribute something to a dinner, so all you need to do is to have a plan (see our sidebar) so you don’t end up with 10 pies … but no green vegetables.

Make the entrée so there will be plenty of the main dish, but invite your friends and family to bring something of their own. We’ve put together a full menu so you can treat your guests to Flemish beef stew or, if you’re a guest, have something fabulous of your own to bring, from our roasted Brussels sprouts with pork belly to our salad of oranges, fennel and shallots. For dessert, make the biscotti in advance and pick up the blood orange sorbet (or your own favorite flavor). These are all easy to make in quantity, too, so you can invite eight or 18.

Flemish Beef Stew

Serves 8
This is a traditional beef stew—and there are probably as many variations of this stew as there are for meatloaf. The one constant? Beer.

3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large onions, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1/4 cup flour
1 12-ounce bottle dark Belgian beer (or dark brown ale)
4 cups beef stock
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil and butter in heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper and brown cubes on all sides (don’t crowd pan; brown cubes in batches if necessary). Spoon beef out onto plate. Add bacon, onions and carrots to pot and cook until onions start to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir meat back into vegetables. Sprinkle flour over all, and stir to coat. Deglaze with beer, stirring up any browned bits from bottom. Add stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring all to boil. Cover and place in oven 2 1/2 hours.
2. Remove from oven. Stir in vinegar, molasses and mustard. Return to oven without lid and cook another 15 minutes. Take pot to table and serve from there.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Serves 8
3 pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed clean and dried
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss potatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour all into roasting pan. Cook until tender, about 35 to 40 minutes, depending on size of potatoes (test by pushing knife into biggest potato; if tender, they’re done). Toss potatoes with parsley and serve immediately.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pork Belly

Serves 8
These should make even the most devout sprout-haters big fans. Roasting any vegetable brings out its natural sweetness.

1 pound pork belly, skin removed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, rinsed, ends trimmed and cut in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork belly and cook, stirring often, rendering fat. While that is browning, place sprouts in roasting pan and toss with oil, salt and pepper. When most of fat has rendered out of pork belly, drain and reserve fat. Stir pork belly into sprouts. Add 1 tablespoon rendered fat.
2. Roast sprouts, shaking pan occasionally, until tender and starting to brown, about 1 hour. Serve immediately.
Note: If you can’t find pork belly, use about 6 rashers of thick-cut bacon. Slice into 1/4-inch pieces, brown lightly then toss with sprouts; proceed.

Salad of Oranges with Shaved Fennel and Shallots

Serves 8 to 10
This vibrant salad combines the tastes of winter—citrus and fennel—with several textures, from the soft Bibb lettuce to the crispy radicchio.

2 heads Boston Bibb lettuce, washed and dried
1 head radicchio, cored and sliced
3 oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly shaved
3 shallots, sliced into rings

Dressing
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Toss lettuce, radicchio, oranges, fennel and shallots in bowl. Combine vinegar, orange juice, salt, pepper, honey, olive oil and poppy seeds in jar; shake. Dress salad with about 1/4 cup dressing; taste and add more if needed. (Dressing will keep, tightly covered, in refrigerator about 4 weeks.) Serve immediately.

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